Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia
- September 07, 2004 00:00 AM PST
FFXI: Chains of Promathia delivers heartily on promise of teaching MMORPG dog new tricks.
By now, many of the faithful denizens of Vana'diel are surely frothing at the mouth for new frontiers to explore and new threats to vanquish, and indeed Square's latest peek at the Chains of Promathia expansion eloquently demonstrates their commitment to maintaining an exciting and fresh online experience. Starting September 21st, Mithra, Galka, Hume, Elvan, and Taru Taru residents can begin exploring some 40 new areas replete with terrifying new enemies and extremely detailed flora and fauna.The Square-Enix team is really pushing the FFXI engine and producing some pretty amazing visual feats previously unexpected out of this PS2/PC hybrid MMORPG. But, undoubtedly, the most welcome addition the Chains of Promathia expansion will bring is a continuation of the rich story that pervades the verdant world of Vana'diel through added cutscenes designed to explain exactly why Vana'diel was created.
GamePro was allowed a rare glimpse at the upcoming delight FFXI gamers can expect from Chains of Promathia, and the following is a firsthand account of some of the beautiful new locations and creepy monsters discovered by our diligent pioneer.
Attohwa Chasm
Familiar to residents of Windurst in its appearance, the Attohwa Chasm is a dusty place similar to the plains and veldts of Sarutabaruta or Tahrongi... only much dustier and even more inhospitable. Named after the ancient Mithran word for "arid", this broken and cragged landscape possesses many dangers in the form of both bloodthirsty critters and poisonous gasses which escape the parched ground through vents.
Giant Antlions roam the dunes of Attohwa in search of the unwary and are positively hideous with their enormous hind legs and abdomen covered by thick, nasty, insect-style fur... gross. Meanwhile, a malevolent force conspires to build an army of the undead in Attohwa Chasm, and these descendants of an ancient royal line (previously interred in the graveyards of Parradamo) have risen from the cold embrace of death with a clear intellect and purpose. Commonly referred to as Corses, these undead princes and kings are positively repugnant with the fetid rags of their robes billowing about them, barely shrouding the ruined, yet somehow animated, skeletons beneath.
Movalpolos
The home of a curious sect of profoundly technologically inclined Goblins, Movalpolos is an underground city comprised almost entirely of scaffolding. The Goblins of Movalpolos are so different from their above-ground brethren that they have been dubbed Moblins, and while similar in appearance to other Goblins, Moblins have eschewed the standard practice of living nomadic lives and coalesced into a group of skilled alchemists, smiths, and even biotechnologists.
Constantly mining the underground portions of Vana'diel, the Moblins must move their society with their mining progress, causing the entire society to be exceptionally mobile. Their homes are literally breathtaking as they teeter precariously among the scaffolds and catwalks that make up the city, and visitors susceptible to vertigo should be aware that the multileveled structures provide a severe exercise in depth perception. While the Moblins themselves prove to be fairly tough adversaries, the true defenders of their society are the massive bionicly augmented atrocities that roam the suspended bridges of the community.
Bibiki Bay
Very nearly the closest thing to vacation property in all of Vana'diel, Bibiki Bay is a gorgeous stretch of beach strewn with a healthy number of grottos and other tidal environments. Despite this new area's beauty, however, the overwhelming number of evil shellfish and other assorted baddies (including a mandragora analog that is significantly meaner) prevent adventurers from getting too comfortable and serve to keep this placid beach from becoming boring. There is also the promise of the local fishermen to provide beach bums with small fishing boats commonly referred to as manaclippers so that nautically inclined adventurers can try their eager hands at sailing!
Emptiness
Easily the most disturbing and provocative destination featured in the Chains of Promathia expansion, the Emptiness is reminiscent of The Nothing from popular eighties children's fantasy film, The Neverending Story. At once both ravenous and nebulous, the Emptiness is a mysterious phenomenon that has begun "eating" Vana'diel.
Similar to a parallel elemental plane, the Emptiness is populated by bizarre forms of life unlike anything else in Final Fantasy XI including the relatively small Wanderers which resemble brains with spinal cords still attached, slightly larger Weepers whose gruesome appearance resembles a shambling tree stump hunched over and dragging fearsome claws, and the curious Memories which are essentially just balls of coherent light.
This multi-tiered wasteland is comprised of a strange substance that slightly adheres to adventurers footwear, leaving odd footprints that seem a little like sand mixed with spider webs. The dark purpose of this chilling area can only be guessed at, but there can be no question that the defenders of Vana'diel are needed to aid in the investigation.
In addition to the many new areas and monsters, the musical score of FFXI is receiving a facelift as well. New themes for both solo and party battles are evident in addition to the new scores that accompany the new areas.
While Square-Enix is holding fast to its pledge that FFXI will eternally maintain pleasant gameplay through tweaks in the world of Vana'diel on an ongoing and free basis, it is apparent that the Chains of Promathia expansion will be worth the extra cash outlay due to the volume and quality of the new content it features.
